Sweet Tea Recipe

Boil water and steep tea

Bring 4 cups water to a rolling boil in a kettle or saucepan. Remove from heat and immediately add 4 black tea bags. Cover and steep 5 minutes for a standard-strength tea or 6–7 minutes for stronger flavor. Do not steep much longer to avoid harsh bitterness.

Sweeten

Remove the tea bags, gently pressing each against the side with a spoon to extract liquid without squeezing bitter tannins. Stir in 3 tablespoons granulated sugar while the tea is still hot so it dissolves completely. Taste and add up to 1 tablespoon more sugar if you prefer sweeter tea.

Dilute and chill

Pour the hot sweetened tea into a heatproof pitcher and add 4 cups cold water to dilute to serving strength and cool slightly. If using lemon juice, stir in 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice now. Let the pitcher come toward room temperature for 10–15 minutes, then refrigerate until well chilled, about 45–60 minutes. (If you need it faster, transfer to a shallow container or add ice; see next step.)

Serve

To serve, fill glasses with ice (about 1/2 cup ice per 8-10 oz glass). Pour chilled sweet tea over the ice. Garnish each glass with a lemon slice if desired. Refrigerate leftover tea for up to 4 days; stir before serving as some settling may occur.